by admin | Jan 18, 2018 | Child Feeding, Nurtured Mama, Postpartum, Postpartum Wellness Series, Recipes, Self Care, Support for Moms, Uncategorized
Note: Some links contained in this article are affiliate links and I have clearly indicated which are affiliate links in the article itself.
Let’s be real. The idea of prepping meals ahead of time before baby comes is much easier said than done. I don’t know about you but when I’m in those final weeks of pregnancy the last thing my body wants me to do is to stand in the kitchen for hours cooking. Cue pain in feet, legs, hips, back…no good. However, once your sweet baby is earth-side you’re going to wish you had at least planned a bit since there isn’t a ton of time to cook between feedings, diaper changes, snuggles and your own personal recovery. I’m currently 38 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child so I figure this is perfect timing to develop a REALISTIC postpartum meal prep plan that will not only benefit my family but hopefully yours too.
This is what I came up with…
Make ahead and freeze:
Although my husband and I have planned ahead to figure out how to have him home for a bit longer this time (3 weeks vs. 6 days) I know that I will inevitably find myself alone with a baby (and likely a toddler) and need food that is ready to eat and extremely easy to prep (bonus if it can be consumed with one hand). However, I also know that I’m just not that mom (or dietitian) who has the energy or motivation to prep 21 postpartum meals at the end of my pregnancy. So I had to prioritize. I chose to focus on a couple of breakfast items, a killer snack option and then purchase several ready-made frozen foods to have on hand.
Currently in my freezer:
Freezer Friendly Breakfast Sandwiches by Emily Kyle, MS, RDN*
Freezer Breakfast Burritos by Jessica Penner, RD*
*(I slightly modified both of these to suit our needs and you can easily do the same!)
Smashed Tuna Sandwiches by Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD
The patties are in the freezer.
5 Ingredient Energy Bites by Chef Savvy
These energy bites are so yummy and easy to make! Recovering from delivery and nursing can make you super hungry so these little suckers do just the trick when I’m in need of a nourishing snack that will leave me full and satisfied!
Freezer meals I purchased from Trader Joe’s:
- Family Style Meat Lasagna (will pair with pre-mixed salad like the Broccoli and Kale Slaw Salad at TJ’s)
- Tempura chicken, brown rice, edamame, pineapple and broccoli
- Frozen pizza (Yup! No shame in my frozen pizza game)
- Pad thai single meals
- 3 x chicken burritos
- 2 x grass-fed ground beef (to include in instant pot recipe mentioned below)
Instant Pot Recipes
I LOVE my Instant Pot (affiliate link). It’s been a lifesaver during dinner prep with my toddler so I know it will be the gift that keeps on giving when I have a toddler AND an infant making their demands while I try to get food on the table. Here are the recipes that we’ll have set up on Plan to Eat. More on Plan to Eat towards the end of this article.
Creamy Beef Pasta Shells
Oh my gah this pasta dish is SOOO easy and I’m telling you it is RESTAURANT QUALITY. You can also modify it in a thousand ways – you could do a non-creamy version or throw some zucchini and eggplant in there. The options are endless.
Instant Pot Classic Beef Chili
If it ever rains in San Diego this season, we’ll be whippin’ this sucker up for sure!
Instant Pot Artichoke Chicken Orzo
This one takes a tad more time than the others but it’s worth it!
Pressure Cooker Chicken Black Bean & Rice Burrito Bowls
We either top this with chopped bell pepper, cabbage, avocado and sour cream and include a side of chips OR use the filling to make burritos. This is great as a make-ahead and freeze meal, too!
Snacks to purchase ahead of time to stay on top of your and your children’s needs (if this isn’t your first rodeo):
- KIND Bars (affiliate link)
- Lara Bars (affiliate link)
- Trader Joe’s Almond Butter Granola (OMGGGEEEE this ish is a-ma-zing)
- Just Mango Dried Mango from Trader Joe’s (In addition to fruit leather and dried fruit bars I’m actually planning to include these as a snack early on in labor).
- Omega-3 Trek Mix from Trader Joe’s or this Omega-3 Deluxe Mix (affiliate link)
- Whole wheat crackers
- Cheese sticks
- Yogurt
- Peanut Butter Pretzels from Trader Joe’s
- Plantain chips from Trader Joe’s
- Fresh fruit
Finally, the most important part of this entire meal planning process is our regular use of Plan to Eat – a software program that will seriously change your life (PROUD affiliate link). This program allows me to:
- Upload recipes from online or manually enter them so that they’re all in one place
- Create menus that I can save and re-use
- Generate shopping lists with the single click of a button!
Do you know what that means for postpartum meal planning? Once I make the menus, it’s done! I can generate and send that list off to my husband or another family member. I can even ask someone to use it to load into a grocery delivery system.
Use my referral link for a free 30-day trial. You can also request to be my “friend” and get access to all of my recipes and saved menus!
Even better? I have a FREE TRAINING that will teach you how to maximize the use of Plan to Eat! You’ll also be subscribed to my list
I combine my skills as a dietitian, meal planner for the masses, and experience as a mom, to help you use Plan to Eat like a pro! Once you’re on my list, you’ll also get plenty of resources for living well without being a slave to the scale.
by Ana R | Dec 5, 2017 | anxiety management, high-risk pregnancy, Nurtured Mama, Podcast, Postpartum, Postpartum Wellness Series, pregnancy wellness, stress management
Listen + Subscribe on ITUNES or STITCHER
We’d greatly appreciate a podcast rating and review so that we can reach more mamas and families!
– Search for the podcast in your podcast app (The Nurtured Mama Podcast)
– Scroll down and click 5 stars
– Tap “Write a Review” & enter brief review
– Press send
MEET OUR GUEST:
Parijat Deshpande is the leading high-risk pregnancy expert who educates and guides women on how to manage their stress, anxiety and overall wellness so they can have healthier pregnancies, decrease their risk of preterm birth and give their baby a healthy start to life. Parijat is a clinically trained therapist, a women’s wellness expert and an experienced speaker on the impact of stress on health and wellness. She has over 4 years of experience as a Psychology Lecturer UC Berkeley and is the founder of MySahana, a South Asian mental health nonprofit. Parijat is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and is also a certified wellness coach, a certified stress management coach and a certified marriage educator.
WHERE TO FIND PARIJAT ONLINE:
Website: www.ParijatDeshpande.com
EPISODE SUMMARY:
- Parijat talks about her transition to motherhood, from all the challenges that she had faced starting from conceiving their baby, to going through ruptured ectopic pregnancy, preterm labor, and the turmoils that she and her family had to go through after giving birth to fight for their baby’s survival.Parijat believed that it had become her mission to help other women who are of her similar journey by giving them the support and encouragement that they need to be able to overcome it.
- She also talks about a research study that relates high-level stress to increasing a certain hormone that affects the placental clock, causing a greater risk for preterm delivery.
- Parijat share tips on how she helps mothers manage their anxiety using the mind-body connection. According to her, that sense of control is really important to helping moms feel less anxious.When you’re able to bring down your anxiety, it’s essential to listen to what your body is telling you. She teaches clients to help them identify the difference between anxiety and when is the right time to seek medical help.
- Parijat also talks about providing postpartum support to mothers who are in high-risk a pregnancy. According to her the postpartum experience of a high-risk pregnancy is quite different than a typical pregnancy because there is so much trauma that the mother goes through without the mother having enough time to process.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
One on One Program:
Hold My Hand Program
Course:
Healthy High Risk Pregnancy Course
You can find these on her website: https://www.parijatdeshpande.com/
by Ana R | Nov 7, 2017 | Body Acceptance, Body Image, Community, Eating Disorder Recovery, Eating Disorders During Pregnancy, Eating Disorders Postpartum, Emotions & Food, Intuitive Eating, Mindful Eating, Nurtured Mama, Podcast, Postpartum Wellness Series, Self Care, Support for Moms
Listen + Subscribe on ITUNES or STITCHER
We’d greatly appreciate a podcast rating and review so that we can reach more mamas and families!
– Search for the podcast in your podcast app (The Nurtured Mama Podcast)
– Scroll down and click 5 stars
– Tap “Write a Review” & enter brief review
– Press send
MEET THE GUEST:
As a WordStylist & Business Strategist, Judy Tsuei works with wild hearted female entrepreneurs to brand their story beautifully — and to get seen! Being authentic is becoming increasingly important in our online world, and Judy shares the tips, tools, and insights on how to attract your ideal clients in a way that converts to genuine revenue — all by working happier, rather than harder through her signature programs. Learn more at www.wildheartedwords.com.
FIND JUDY ONLINE:
Website(s): www.wildheartedwords.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildheartedwords/
https://twitter.com/awilderlove
https://www.instagram.com/wildheartedwords/
EPISODE SUMMARY:
- Judy developed an eating disorder in her teenage years. She shares her story of treatment, recovery, re-finding herself and how this carried over to her motherhood journey.
- Judy talks about her experience in finding the things that she wanted to do as a writer. Prior to becoming a writer, she had worked for big companies where she was doing well, yet she knew that her heart wasn’t in it. Her purpose of serving the world had to be tied to being authentic, open, and part of that is to keep sharing her and other’s stories.
- She also shared her experiences while living in Kauai where she met her husband, made it through a pregnancy with hyperemesis and also created a group to find community and support.
- Judy share her thoughts on how as a woman, by giving yourself the permission to be wild and free.
- Judy talks about her experience of going through depression and postpartum depression and how she overcame it. She makes an important point of seeking professional help (from a trained mental health professional) and how her family encouraged her to seek that care. Other complimentary experiences and treatments included acupuncture and returning to yoga.
- She ended the episode by giving a piece of advice :
“Do not beat yourself up. Took it with compassion and grace.”
PRODUCT:
“Create the Brand of You” and “Six Figure Storytelling” programs.
SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
by Ana R | Oct 24, 2017 | Body Acceptance, Body Image, Eating Disorder Recovery, Eating Disorders During Pregnancy, Eating Disorders Postpartum, Emotions & Food, Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating, Nurtured Mama, Podcast, Postpartum, Postpartum Wellness Series, pregnancy, Support for Moms, Your Tribe
Listen + Subscribe on ITUNES or STITCHER
We’d greatly appreciate a podcast rating and review so that we can reach more mamas and families!
– Search for the podcast in your podcast app (The Nurtured Mama Podcast)
– Scroll down and click 5 stars
– Tap “Write a Review” & enter brief review
– Press send
MEET OUR GUEST:
Dr. Linda Shanti McCabe holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of California. She has worked in the field of Eating Disorder, Chemical Dependency, and Codependency Recovery since 1999, in residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient levels of care. Her doctoral research focused on re-image-ing the body using expressive arts with women recovering from bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating. She is a Licensed Soulcollage facilitator trained by Seena Frost, MFT, and am certified in Postpartum International’s Perinatal Mood and Anxiety components of care.
She knows the terrain of eating disorder recovery and “new mommy bootcamp” because she has been there. She recovered herself twenty years ago. She is a therapist that truly believes
“you can’t keep it unless you give it away, but you can’t give it away unless you have it.”
FIND LINDA ONLINE:
Website: DrLindaShanti.com
Twitter: @DrLindaShanti
FB: Recoverymama
Blog: Recoverymama.com
TRANSITION TO MOTHERHOOD:
Dr. Shanti shared a quote:
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother — NEVER. A mother is something absolutely new.”
The quote itself summarizes some of her transitions into motherhood. According to Shanti, the transition was like a whole new journey. As an individual in eating disorder recovery, it was like “a recovery beyond her wildest dreams, totally different in ways that she could never imagine.”
EPISODE SUMMARY:
- She discovered experientially the many overlaps in the journey of new motherhood and recovery for eating disorder: body image, shifts in recovery in new motherhood, sleep, food, hormones and mood, career transitions, relationships and partner transitions, identity transformation.
- She describes the feeling after pregnancy as like having a whole new self that has elements of your old self.
- Linda highlights the various support systems that can help mothers in their recovery after pregnancy. According to her, support may come in a lot of different ways. In some cases that may have to deal with a medical or psychological condition, seeking professional support would definitely be part of that.
- Another support that she mentioned is about being part of motherhood support groups that are tailored according to your situation. (Ex: corporate mom, stay at home moms, part-time working moms, etc…)
- Linda also encourages moms to find their “Mom Tribe.” Try to make new friends. And if you haven’t, give yourself time. She provides some great tips on how to test out new friendships and decide who you’d like to pursue deeper relationships with.
PRODUCT:
UPCOMING BOOK:
Good Enough Mama: Taking Care of Your Self and Your Recovery During Pregnancy and Postpartum
REFERENCED ON THE SHOW:
- Moms Helping Moms – http://www.momshelpingmomsfoundation.org/
- 4th Trimester Bodies Project – http://www.4thtrimesterbodiesproject.com/
- Mid Drift Movement – https://www.middriftmovement.com/
by Ana R | Aug 8, 2017 | Nurtured Mama, Podcast, Postpartum Wellness Series, Self Care
Support our ThunderClap Campaign so that our podcast can reach more mothers and families. ThunderClap social media blast goes out on August 14th at noon PST. We need 100 supporters for the blast to go out! Link to support: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/60036-the-nurtured-mama-podcast
Listen + Subscribe on ITUNES or STITCHER
We’d greatly appreciate a podcast rating and review so that we can reach more mamas and families!
– Search for the podcast in your podcast app (The Nurtured Mama Podcast)
– Scroll down and click 5 stars
– Tap “Write a Review” & enter brief review
– Press send
MEET OUR GUEST:
Alexandra Hughes launched In Essence Coaching, LLC in 2011 after training with the International Coaching Academy to become a Certified Professional Coach.
Prior to this, Alexandra dedicated 18 years of her professional career to social change as an international development researcher and practitioner. She got her BA in Environmental Studies from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada and her MPhil in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in the U.K. She’s lived and worked in Africa, Europe, South and North America, and speaks English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
In Essence Coaching, LLC is Alexandra’s private coaching practice dedicated to helping mothers suffering from stress, to find balance, joy and self-empowerment. You can find her at calmjoyfulmom.com where she shares her heart-on-her-sleeve blogs.
Alex also hosts a Stress Less Facebook Community and a free Stress Less | Love More Challenge for busy mothers suffering from overwhelm. She also offers on-line Calm Mom Project to mothers everywhere, and works one-on-one with a small group of women.
Alexandra loves her coaching projects second only to her three mischievous and vivacious children and her loving (ever patient) husband who are about to embark on their fourth international move to…Brazil!!
WHERE TO FIND ALEXANDRA ONLINE:
Website: http://calmjoyfulmom.com
FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/clearmindpresentmama/
PRODUCTS:
Stress Less | Love More Challenge – http://www.calmjoyfulmom.com/ditchoverwhelmchallenge/
TRANSITION TO MOTHERHOOD:
Alexandra shares about her journey to motherhood that involves a lot of moving into various countries and also their story of adoption and becoming pregnant at the same time. She talks about giving up her job as a consultant to be a full-time mom and housewife.
They moved to the UK and struggled in adjusting to the new environment, parenting, and also trying to make their ends meet after giving up her job. She decided to go back to work and she later found out that she got pregnant with their third child. Admittedly, Alexandra was totally burnt out. She was losing her time with her family and becomes totally disconnected not only with her family but also to her own self. After a thorough reflection, Alexandra decided to retrain herself to become a life coach.
As for her, he early motherhood experience led to where she is today and she has used all of the lessons throughout her entire journey to support women that she is working working with today.
Episode Summary:
CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND TRANSITION:
According to Alexandra:
“The funny thing about life, change is the only constant.” ([12:03])
With every change and transition, there comes a certain degree of resistance and emotional mayhem, and fear. She shares about how we are naturally wired to resist anything that can take us away from our safety net.
The principle is about ensuring that the child feels safe in whatever change is going on, ensuring that they are able to express their emotions. Being well enough and calm enough to be able to manage that expression of emotions from a grounded place without teaching them to repress or suppress. Investing time with your child, whether in a big transition or a smaller transition, it does pay back because kids feel safer.
“Mindfulness is about being in the moment, but it’s ok to plan too.” ([16:16])
STRESS AND MOTHERHOOD:
Alexandra shares her thoughts that stress comes from the pressure we put on ourselves by trying to protect our kids against the things we’ve been through when we were younger. Added to that are the various standards being presented to us when to comes to parenting. So it’s a matter of external and internal pressure where a mother’s stress comes from.
She thinks that the certain disconnection, whether it is about your relationship with food or your relationship with your children ultimately reflects to the relationship that you have within yourself. According to her, “Life is about doing and about being. It’s about brainstorming, pondering, and reflecting.” She said that being able to cognitively analyze the relationships that we have and emotionally process it enables you to neutralize it, move through it, and this will stop the stress from governing you.
STEPS YOU NEED TO DO TO MANAGE STRESS:
- Get to know yourself by observing yourself, observing what stresses you out and when, observing what happens to you when stress triggers you. Learn to observe what is going on in your body. Learn to observe your feelings and label it. Assess your values and see whether you’re living in alignment.
- Love yourself through self care. Do yoga or take some time to meditate. Do something that can make you feel connected to your innerself.
ALEXANDRA AND HER COMMUNITY CAUSE:
- Alexandra is running a free Facebook Community called “Stress Less, Love More” Facebook Community. This is a group of open-minded, real, and honest mothers who talk about their challenges and are committed to stressing less and loving more. Alexandra offers E-coaching in her Facebook Group.
- She also offers a “Stress Less, Love More 5-day Challenge” which is about helping women in determining what are the things most important to them, and what are the things taking up your energy and headspace.
Referenced in the Show:
STACY TUSCHL – She’s Building Her Empire https://shesbuildingherempire.com/
WEBSITE: http://calmjoyfulmom.com
FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/clearmindpresentmama/
